"Zverev is too hard on himself, needs to find the balance"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 17 Nov 2025 | 13.00

Zverev is too hard on himself, needs to find balance. Photo: Getty Images

Streaming M25 Bastia-Lucciana live tennis

🎾 Alexander Weis vs Yanis Ghazouani Durand

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

Without a doubt, 2025 has been a year to forget in the career of Alexander Zverev. The peak of his season was the final of the Australian Open in January. Since then, a slump in results, gameplay, and confidence that saw him hit rock bottom at Wimbledon, where he admitted to struggling with mental health issues.

Following that confession, things didn't improve much for Alexander Zverev, always in the shadow of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have the chance in these Davis Cup finals to salvage a tough 2025. However, some voices suggest that the German needs a break to gain perspective, while the ever-controversial Boris Becker believes that Zverev's slide stems from his mental issues, a view echoed by former tennis player Andrea Petkovic who blames his self-demanding nature.

Boris Becker believes Alexander Zverev's problems are due to his mentality

Boris Becker was less harsh than usual but expressed concern for his compatriot's current state: "I think he played well in Vienna, in the final against Sinner, where he narrowly lost in three sets. In Paris, he reached the semifinals but suffered an injury. At the ATP Finals, against Shelton, he played excellently. But I was talking about mental issues. In Wimbledon, during the press conference after his first-round exit, he mentioned a motivational slump. I also think he had it in Turin. He missed shots he usually hits with his eyes closed in practice. That has nothing to do with sports but with his psyche, his mentality."

Andrea Petkovic, on the other hand, suggested that the world number three needs physical recovery: "I don't think anyone questions Sascha's tennis quality. He is one of the most talented players in the world. He is one of the few who, on a good day, can pose a threat to Sinner and Alcaraz. For me, this motivational slump is also due to fatigue. I believe he plays a lot and has played a lot this season, and often the first thing to suffer when one is exhausted is mental strength. I know I repeat myself, but I think he simply has played a lot and needs to recover."

She also advised him to not be so hard and demanding on himself: "To be honest, he always seems a bit harsh to me. He is very demanding of himself and sometimes speaks very negatively about his performances. I think he is too hard on himself, and I would like him to find a good balance. To know what's failing and work on it in training but not be so tough on himself. Because when one is in a bad mood, speaking so negatively to oneself doesn't help."

"His body is, honestly, his greatest asset. And if he feels pain, his game completely changes. He becomes passive, mentally blocked, fights with himself, is very hard on himself. So, for me, the most important thing for him is to regain his best physical form, and now he has a great opportunity to recover after ending the season to strengthen physically," concludes Andrea Petkovic, who, like Boris Becker, believes that Alexander Zverev should rest and close the forgettable 2025.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Zverev es demasiado duro consigo mismo, necesita encontrar el equilibrio"

ATP